T omorrow’s hit restaurant could be today’s farmer’s market venue. For many years, Saturday mornings at the Tower Grove Farmers Market in Tower Grove Park was synonymous with the Combo Breakfast Sandwich from Chris Meyer and Mike Miller. A long, steady line waited for the duo’s construction of cheddar, bacon and a fried egg, with sea salt and honey, on toasted sourdough.
That sandwich now anchors the menu at Songbird in Forest Park Southeast. It’s one of the area’s best cafes, a three-time honoree of my annual STL 100. I wanted to know which food could be next.
I visited three of the area’s biggest markets: Tower Grove, the Alton Farmers & Artisans’ Market and the Lake Saint Louis Farmers & Artists Market. Here are my favorite ready-to-eat and made-to-order dishes from my explorations. (Note: For this project, I focused on vendors without a brick-and-mortar storefront or food truck.
Also, vendor availability can vary from week to week at markets.) Tower Grove Farmers Market..
Hollywood couldn’t design a more picturesque farmers’ market than Tower Grove. Children splash in the fountain. Dogs politely nose through the throngs of tote bags and yoga mats.
A band plays the blues for visitors seeking shade. A young girl plays the violin for tips. The Combo sandwich has moved on.
The market continues to feature dishes worth seeking out. Be ready to line up. For Food with Yoo , you might want to bring a bib, too.
Here David Yoo griddles hotteok, Korean-style stuffe.
